TIDAL ArtS is a project offering grants to artists, collectives, and creatives to support the European Union’s Mission to Restore Our Ocean and Waters by 2030 (“the Mission”). Using a tidal logic, the project fosters connections between disciplines and species. Inspired by Neimanis’s “Bodies of Water” and “Hydrocommons” concepts, TIDAL ArtS emphasizes that human bodies, composed primarily of water, are both materially and semiotically entwined with other water bodies. By taking water as both a subject and praxis, TIDAL ArtS engages with the cyclical movement of water as a co-design methodology. Through multiple rounds of contact with local citizens, scientists, and cultures, the project’s waves of influence expand.
In 2025, TIDAL ArtS will award 24 grants to artists, collectives, and creatives across Europe to inspire engagement in the EU’s Mission to Restore our Oceans and Waters. The selected artworks will foster a connection between communities and their local water bodies, focusing on the unique identities of four key regions, called “Lighthouses”: the Atlantic-Arctic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, the Baltic-North Sea, and the Danube River-Black Sea.
Through this open call, many artists, collectives, and creatives across Europe will be awarded €15,000 grants to create participatory, community-focused artworks. The selected projects must connect citizens to their aquatic environments and raise awareness of environmental challenges through artistic expression. Five artists will be chosen from each of four designated “Lighthouse” regions—Atlantic-Arctic, Mediterranean, Baltic-North Sea, and Danube-Black Sea. Projects must be completed by June 2026 and involve collaboration with scientists, educators, and communities.
Join the Lighthouse Calls online information session on May 19th – all info here.
